Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-07-31
TIE PLANETS.
syxrpigG TIKI gEAvEss WITH THE
BIG TELEscopR.
The Celestial Panorama Of the Month
Of August-The Principal Stars
and the Aeteors.


Providence Journal
VENTS is evening star She reaches
tie point daring the month when she
puts on her most glorious aspect as
evening star. On the 18th, at noon
day. she appears in her greatest bril-
liancy, beng then about ~ east of thu
srn. and lcr diameter measuring 4O".
| Whom she became evening star last De
c,mlcr her whole illuminated disc Gike
| ihr 'ull noon was turned towards the
| Cai,h, and, being at her greatest dis
tucc from u~, Der diameter was only
| lC. She has ever since been travel
! Ing towards us, and increasing in size
.na hnNaucy. st the same time she
l1s been tuning less and less Of her
! D. u!niTaicd Csc towards Us, passing
! through the phases Of the mOou from full
10 rev. Until the 18th the increasing
,izc Of thc planets disc has more than
| CcUnteTbalanccd the lcssening portion,
Which is illuminated, and rs every o0-
server must have noticed, the fair
| evening star has crown more brilliantly
beautiful. After the 18th the illumi-
mated cgc.Ccnt rapidly diminishes until
It loc0mes exceedingly thin. The in
| crossing size 70 longer cOuhtcrbalances
Tie lcssnng light, and the planet per-
ceItbly vancs in hrilliancy. There
ne Two of these periods Of greatest
niiiancy as they are called. The one,
| Ike the present, occurring thiity-siX
days before inferior conjunction
vhn Venus is evening star, and the
,tEG occurring thirty-slx days after i'll
fcIior conjunction when Venus is morn
ing star.
Our planetary ncighbor will be n
claiming object for celestial study
Guiing tie whole month Of August, in
Crcasing in splcndor until the 18th, and
| apj ro@hing the sun from the months
Commencement to its close. The proof
Of her increasing brillancy will be per
ccltible TO the eye Of the careful OBJ
server, and the proof that she is draw
ng nearer tOthe sun will be fOundi in the
lesscning length of her stay above the
horizon after sunset. Thus on the LIST
she sets an hour and q half after the
sun. On the 3lst she sets about half
81 hour after the sun.
The right ascension of Venus on the
lst Is 1lh. 32m. F.; her doclination is !
II north : her diameter is 81 =, and
she is in the constellation Leo.
Venus sets on the Isl at a quarter be-
fore 3 O'Clock in the evening on th.
3Ift She sets mt quarter before Z
O'Clock.
JUrITFn is evening star. He shares
with Venus in the planetary hOnors of
the August early evenings. setting on
the Isl on hour and half later than
bis more brilliant rival, while at the
cio,c Of the month Venus sinks below
tbe western hills an hour AMI three
Cuort1s before Jupiter makes his exit.
Tie piiuccly planet is still near his
lair attendant Spica, as has been the
case through the spring and summer.
Enc distance between planet and star Is
pCfccptllly increasing, for Jupiter will
,iayol eastward or in direct motion for
tie rest al the year At the end of the
month thc distance between them Is
I and 81 servers viii before long cease
10 remember the chance cOmpgnl0nShIp
LotwCcn the wandcrcr among the stars
end one OF the great suns OF space.
Jupiter is DOW passing from quadracure
to conjunction, receding from the earth
and approaching the sun. Even when
at the greatest distance from rs there
is little diminuiiou in his brightness
and as long as he ia above the nightly
horizon he is beautiful to behold.
The right ascension Of Jupiter on .h9
Ist is 13h. 4Gm. his defamation is -
~ south his diameter is 81, and he
il in the constellation Virgo.
Jupiter sets on the 1st at n quarter
after 10 o'clock in the evening oh tde
3lst he sets about half-past s o'clock.
URANUS is evening star. lie Is 50 tar
from the earth that he has ceased to be
visible to the most sharp-sighted Oh
server who seeks TO find him with the
unaidcd eye. lie is pursuing ms SLOW
course eastward. advancing little from
the position hc held during uly, being
now about southeast Of Gamma Nir-
eini-.
The right ascension OF Crnus on the
lst is l-h. 35m. his dec,nation Is
south his diameter is j.. >, and he
is in the constellation Virgo.
Uranus sets on the lst about bali
past o'clock III the evening; on the
5lst be sets about half-past o'clock.
MrEc,I1 is morning star throughout
the month. and adds more Incidents 70
its annals than any other planet. On
Tie 10th at o'clock in the afternoon
he reaches his greatest western el0n9a-
ton, bong then Is 80 west Of the
sun. The conditions are favorable for
raked-eye view of our interesting
brother planet if the observer is wiling
to be on hand early enough to behold
the phenomenon. On the 18TH Aler-
curry rises an hour and half before
lbe sun. II The morning he exception
ally clear he will be found in the cast
about north OF the sunrise point,
rising at half-past 3 o'clock. ~
S chit of him is worth all the troab.e II
costs, as any one viii bear witness who
succeeds in finding him. He will I've
visible for several days before and after
his olongGtion.
On tho 18th, at MONDAY, Mercury,
travelling eastward towards the sun.
encounters Mars travelling westward
nom the sur. They are in coniunc-
ton. Mercury being at the time 40
south of Mars. We shall miss the OPP
rortunity Of seeing the meeting be-
tween the two smallest members OF the
suns family, for both actors IN the
scene are invisible.
On the 3ist, at 6 o'clock in the morn
ing, Mercury takes his turn in making
near approach to Resulus or Alpha
Loonis. He is / IS north OF the star
ut the time of conjunction. This is an
event to bc seen i'll the minds eye, for
planet and star are Invisible when the
vent occurs.
The night ascension Of Mercury on
the lst is 81. ION. his declination is
10 ~ north, his diameter is 1910,
and he is III the constellation Cancer.
Mercury rises on the lst at twenty
one minutes after o'clock in the
morning; on the 3lst h. rises twenty
five minutes after ( o'clock.
SATURN is morning star. lie is fast
emerging from the solar rays, and at
the close of the mouth rises more than
three hours before the sun. His posi-
ton in the heavens differs little from
that Of last year, excepting that he has